You will doubtless recall my recent story about how Nanny's best chum Auntie (the BBC) invoked a rigorous application of health and safety rules when broadcasting a programme about changing a tyre?Well, Auntie has gone and done it again this time during the adventure series "Top Dogs".
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (sailor), Sir Ranulph Fiennes (explorer) and war reporter John Simpson were subjected to absurd health and safety when filming the series, which took them to Afghanistan, around Cape Horn by boat and across the Canadian Arctic.
These gentlemen are experts and experienced in the arts of survival etc (Sir Ranulph had to chop a few frozen fingers off once to save himself on one trip); yet Auntie forbade them to light a Primus stove without supervision and gave them a stonkingly large document warning them about hazards such as tripping over.
It does seem that the BBC, paid for with our money, is run by a bunch of twats.
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This story just shows how far removed the BBC are from reality....I suppose costs never come into it when you have a blank cheque from the taxpayer!!
ReplyDeleteHow do you suppose Nanny would have reacted to the daring achievements of Sir Richard Burton? Pride? Admiration? Knighthood? Or a barrage of health and safety warnings and a stern lecture on the dangers of gas stoves?
ReplyDeleteNanny obviosuly opposes adrenaline. It give people ideas above their station.
Does it never occur to these amoeba-brained twats that someone with the expertise in these fields, not to mention the raw courage, is quite capable of performng this kind of task without the interference of prod noses from the health and safety gestapo. If these jobsworths had been in positions of power and authority during the golden age of explorers and inventors, nothing would have been achieved. Then again, perhaps it would, because these jobsworths would have very quickly been despatched to the Tower of London, prior to an appointment on the scaffold with the executioner, and a very good riddance too!
ReplyDeleteI watched, speechless, at the audacty of the arctic expedition doctor, a mere lad, and wheeled out by the Beeb to make sure that the Dogs were up to the task, when he pointed out to (I think) Robin K-J that, although he had the body of a much younger man despite - gasp - being a smoker, it really wasn't a good message to give out to viewers...
ReplyDeleteR K-J reacted with a look of exquisite disdain.
Jay
I know from personal correspondence with him that the BBC Director General is an arch-twat.
ReplyDeleteIf Burton had offered them films of his extensive (and allegedly enthusiastic) explorations of Arabian and Indian male brothels, I doubt very much whether they would have been aired with the same acclaim as David Attenborough, even though a more significant contribution to natural history.
Just as a side note, starting from the age of 15, I would go on camping trips with my friends every year (in the snows of winter, no less!!) and bereft of adult supervision. We always made use of gas stoves, and every single one of us is alive to this day.
ReplyDeleteTalk about defying the odds!!!
OFF Topic but::
ReplyDeleteI've just had a FoI answer from my council re RIPA investigations.
In your recent item about it, didn't you say there have been 1800 investigations? Well - since October 2002 my council alone has conducted 401 investigations. Zero related to terrorism, and all the rest relating to "anti-social behaviour", and "Licencing" issues.
Want a copy Ken?
They refused to tell me how much these cost, and how much they recovered in fines etc. Used the "cost of finding out" excuse. Now I have to find a way around that.
Fkit - here it is anyway::
ReplyDeleteDear Mr Morgan
I am emailing to respond to your FOI request. I will repeat your questions with the answers underneath each one.
1 (a) How many Officers and/or other staff of WMBC are authorised to use the powers granted under this Act (RIPA); and who issues such authorisation?
16 are authorised; the Chief Executive issues the authorisation
(b) What are the grades of the staff concerned? By this I mean - how many senior executives; how many senior managers; how many junior managers; how many non-managerial grades; how many temporary contractors; etc. Numbers alone are all that I require, not names or particular job titles.
16 in total - 3 directors, 13 senior managers
(c) On what date was the first individual from WMBC authorised to use the powers granted by RIPA given that authorisation?
October 2002
(d) Are such individuals authorised to delegate any necessary powers to others - whether WMBC employees or otherwise - to actually carry out aspects of investigations (such as physical surveillance, or installing/operating cameras or listening devices, for example)?
Yes
(e) Is there a committee, or individual, tasked to exercise oversight on the use of RIPA to ensure it is being used appropriately?
Yes - an officer in the Legal and Democratic Services Department
(f) On what date was the oversight put in place?
October 2002
2. How many investigations, in total, have been carried out by staff or contractors from or for WMBC?
401 since October 2002
3 (a) How many of these investigations were 'Terrorism' related?
None
(b) Of those investigations not terrorism related, please supply a list of the reasons for each investigation.
All investigations were carried out for either anti-social behaviour or licensing purposes
4 How many investigations have resulted in:
(i) Prosecution through a court of law?
(ii) Issue of a formal caution?
(iii) Issue of a fixed penalty notice?
Under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, I am refusing to provide this information on the basis that to do so would breach the appropriate limit set down in the FOI Fees Regulations. The Fees Regulations stipulate that the cost limit for dealing with an FOI request is £450, calculated at a total of £25 an hour (i.e. a time limit of 18 hours). In order to provide the information on how many investigations have resulted in one of the above outcomes, we would need to consult information on 401 separate investigations. I estimate that it would take at least 5 minutes to obtain the file for each case and then find out what the outcome of the investigation was. At five minutes per investigation, it would therefore take 33 hours to collate the outcomes of every investigation taken forward since October 2002. On this basis, I am refusing to provide the information.
5 What has been the cost of these investigations ( include the cost of prosecutions in with total cost), and how much has been recovered from prosecutions and fixed penalty notices?
We do not hold this information.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of this response, an independent senior officer will review this decision. Please let me know if you would like to arrange this.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner, who is the regulator for Freedom of Information. His website is www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk, and his helpline number is 01625 545745. His staff may ask you to exhaust our internal complaints procedure if you choose to complain to his office now.
Regards
Doesn't sound either legal or democratic to me.
ReplyDelete